Child Protection
We in Prince Rupert School have a primary responsibility for the care, welfare and safety of the students in our charge. We aim to provide a caring, supportive and safe environment in which all our young people can learn and develop to their full potential. One way in which we seek to protect our young people is helping them to recognise unwelcome behaviour in others and to acquire the confidence and skills they need to keep themselves safe.
Prince Rupert School has a Child Protection policy. Our policy and practice are based on guidelines drawn up by the Department for Education and Skills and Service Children’s Education. The full policy is available from the school office.
What is Child Abuse?
We use the following definitions:
Neglect: the persistent or significant neglect of a child, the failure to protect them from any kind of danger and/or the failure to carry out important aspects of care.
Physical abuse: the deliberate harming of a child.
Emotional abuse: persistent or significant emotional ill-treatment or rejection resulting in severe adverse effects on the emotional, physical and/or behavioural development of a child.
Sexual abuse: the sexual exploitation of a child in acts which they do not truly comprehend and to which they are unable to give informed consent or that violate the social taboos of family roles.
Procedures within the school
All members of staff have received training in Child Protection. If a member of staff becomes concerned about a student’s welfare or safety, the procedures outlined below are always followed:
- All concerns are reported to Mr. Alan Price(DP) for Child Protection, Mr. Williams the Deputy Designated Person (DDP) for Child Protection. Mr Price is the Designated Person in the Boarding Lodge.
- The DP will try to establish if there is any cause for concern
- If appropriate, the DP will contact the Central Referral Team (CRT) for advice or clarification - the names of students are not disclosed at this stage
- The school will explain its concerns to the CRT and follow its recommendations. There are occasions when we may be able to deal with the situation ourselves, but we always have to follow the CRT’s recommendation to make a formal referral if that is required. We will usually inform parents of this. However, depending on the nature of the complaint, this is not always possible.
Please remember, our first priority is the welfare and safety of the child or young person.
Who should I contact about Child Protection?
The student’s House Leader is usually the first person to contact if you need to speak to someone at school. However, where child abuse is suspected, you should contact Mr Williams or Mr Price directly, stating that you wish to discuss a child protection matter.
Mr Price or Mrs Williams can be contacted on 05751 970320/321/335